Some Notes on the Malayan Law of Negligence

In the annals of the spread of the common law to other lands and other ways, Malaya may deserve a modest place, but, as the selection here no doubt shows, so far it has made no significant contribution to the intellectual content of that law. It has neither produced nor harboured a Cardozo or a Dixon. At best, its judges have applied common law principles simply but soundly; they have never, at least in tort, been subtle or illuminating. Its legal history is of interest for its own sake; its legal achievement awaits us in the future, not in the past

Planning syllabus through professional partnership.

In most institutions of higher education, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has evolved into a professional field that has multiple perspectives (Johns, 2002), multi-disciplinary approaches (Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998), and sound research-based pedagogy (Belcher & Braine, 1995). pecifically, ESP practitioners take into account the needs of clients to develop academic courses through professional partnerships with the various stakeholders (Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998). The authors would like to share one such experience at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) in designing, delivering and evaluating a writing course using the portfolio approach, which was specially tailored to the needs of its science students in the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. The presentation will cover the course of events chronologically from the preliminary discussions between the subject specialists and language experts to negotiate course objectives, the development of the syllabus based on these mutually-agreed goals, the delivery and fine-tuning of the course to the final stage of evaluating the curriculum taking into consideration feedback from tutors and students. The focus will be on the key developments and resulting decisions on matters such as content, approach, structure and assessment of the writing course that lead to a win-win outcome through a collegial partnership between the subject specialists and language experts

Can, Want and Try: Parents' Viewpoints Regarding the Participation of Their Child with an Acquired Brain Injury

BACKGROUND: Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a leading cause of permanent disability, currently affecting 20,000 Australian children. Community participation is essential for childhood development and enjoyment, yet children with ABI can often experience barriers to participation. The factors which act as barriers and facilitators to community participation for children with an ABI are not well understood. AIM: To identify the viewpoints of parents of children with an ABI, regarding the barriers and facilitators most pertinent to community participation for their child. METHODS: Using Q-method, 41 parents of children with moderate/severe ABI sorted 37 statements regarding barriers and facilitators to community participation. Factor analysis identified three viewpoints. RESULTS: This study identified three distinct viewpoints, with the perceived ability to participate decreasing with a stepwise trend from parents who felt their child and family "can" participate in viewpoint one, to "want" in viewpoint two and "try" in viewpoint three. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicated good participation outcomes for most children and families, however some families who were motivated to participate experienced significant barriers. The most significant facilitators included child motivation, supportive relationships from immediate family and friends, and supportive community attitudes. The lack of supportive relationships and attitudes was perceived as a fundamental barrier to community participation. SIGNIFICANCE: This research begins to address the paucity of information regarding those factors that impact upon the participation of children with an ABI in Australia. Findings have implications for therapists, service providers and community organisations

Mesozoic ductile shear and paleogene extension along the eastern margin of the central Gneiss Complex, coast Belt, Shames River area, near Terrace, British Columbia

Near Terrace, British Columbia, the eastern margin of the Central Gneiss Complex (CGC) is a 3-4 km thick, gently northeast dipping, ductile-brittle shear zone with northeast movement of the upper plate. Along Shames River, deformed amphibolite-facies rocks to the west are juxtaposed against lower greenschist to amphibolite facies units to the east along the steep, east side down, brittle Shames River fault (SRF). Gentle to moderate northwest and northeast dips west of SRF contrast with steep southeast dips to the east. Lineations plunge gently northeast and southwest. West of SRF, the Shames River mylonite zone (SRMZ) separates granitoid rocks below from less deformed granitoid rocks, orthogneiss and metasedimentary rocks above. West of Exstew River, the moderately northeast dipping, ductile Exstew River fault, juxtaposes the SRMZ against metamorphic rocks and granitoids of the CGC. The SRMZ is cut by anastomosing brittle-ductile shear zones. Most kinematic indicators show northeast directed shear. Heterogeneous strain in SRMZ accommodates a minimum upper plate movement of 25 km to the east-northeast. Hornblende geobarometry indicates a structural omission of 13.4 km across SRMZ. East of SRF, amphibolite and greenschist facies supracrustal and plutonic rocks of Lower Permian and older Stikine Assemblage are thrust above greenschist facies volcanic strata correlated with Telkwa Formation of the Lower to Middle Jurassic Hazelton Group. Foliation in late synkinematic, 69 Ma granodiorite which intrudes this thrust package dips steeply southeast. Stikine Assemblage is comprised of lower greenstone, granitoid rocks, volcanic breccia and flows overlain by fusulinid-rich marble. A deformed intrusive rock in Stikine Assemblage has a minimum Pb-Pb date of 317 ± 3 Ma. Hazelton Group contains lower andesitic and upper dacitic to rhyolitic packages comprised of agglomerate, volcanic breccia, tuff, and plagioclase porphyry flows. The earliest recognised metamorphism and deformation in the SRMZ, at upper amphibolite grade, affects 188 ± 8 Ma orthogneiss, and occurred before intrusion of a garnet-biotite granite dated by Woodsworth et al. (1983) at 83.5 Ma. Early fabrics are overprinted by Campanian to Paleocene ductile deformation and a second metamorphism. The second deformation waned during intrusion of three granitic intrusions with concordant U-Pb zircon crystallization dates of 68.7 - 69 Ma. A late to post-kinematic granite dyke in the SRMZ has a U-Pb zircon crystallization date of 60 ± 6 Ma. The second phase of metamorphism began before, and outlasted ductile deformation. The SRF and other high angle normal faults cut 69 Ma granodiorite, but do not significantly offset Eocene (46.2-52.3 Ma) K-Ar biotite cooling isothermal surfaces. The 60 Ma granite is deformed by low angle semi-brittle faulting with upper plate movement to the northeast. A 48 ± 3 Ma synkinematic granite dyke in the footwall of SRMZ was intruded during this deformation, which ended before 46.2 - 46.5 ± 1.6 Ma, the K-Ar biotite cooling dates from SRMZ. The entire region is deformed by post-ductile open, upright, east-northeast plunging folds. K-Ar biotite dates for granitoid rocks range from 51.1 Ma in the upper plate to 46.2 Ma in SRMZ, indicating downward progression of cooling. North-northwest trending brittle faults and lamprophyre dykes cut the SRMZ, and are therefore younger than mid-Eocene. Thermobarometry of pelitic and granitoid rocks indicates increasing metamorphic grade with increasing structural depth. Al-j; in hornblende geobarometry indicates slightly lower pressure of crystallization for the interior than the margin of a granodiorite body east of SRF.In the upper plate of SRMZ, west of SRF, sillimanite-staurolite-garnet schist records ductile deformation and metamorphism at 3.8 ± 1.6 kbar and 570 ± 50°C. The schist is intruded by orthogneiss cut by 68.7 Ma granodiorite. The granodiorite crystallized at 3.4 ± 1 kbar, and was deformed at 2.2 ± 1 kbar at 68.7 Ma. In SRMZ, hornblende in pre-kinematic, 188 ± 8 Ma granodiorite crystallized at 5.5 ± 1 kbar. Deformation and synkinematic metamorphism occurred at 4.9 ± 1 kbar, between 83.5 and before 60 ± 6 Ma. East of SRF, greenschist conditions prevailed, except near the southern margin of the 69 Ma granodiorite body, where amphibolite facies was stable during ductile deformation. A metapelitic sample gives near-peak metamorphic conditions of 4.9 ± 1.6 kbar and 700 ± 50°C, and contact metamorphic conditions of 2.9 ± 1.6 kbar and 610 ± 50°C during intrusion of late synkinematic, 69 Ma granodiorite. P-T-time paths for the upper plate of SRMZ west of Shames River indicate initial rapid, near-isothermal decompression beginning before 69 Ma, continuing to 69 Ma, followed by rapid cooling to 0.9-1.1 kbar, at 51.1 Ma. Paleogene to middle Eocene deformation was probably extensional in nature. It occurred in a vigorous magmatic arc, in response to, and possibly coeval with, crustal thickening.Science, Faculty ofEarth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department ofGraduat

A 'Cut-Down-To-Stop' intervention for smokers who find it hard to quit:a qualitative evaluation

BACKGROUND: English Stop Smoking Services primarily deliver behavioural interventions to support abrupt quit attempts. Recent evidence suggests an alternative approach could be offered to clients involving a more gradual reduction of cigarettes smoked leading to complete abstinence, known as 'Cut Down To Stop' (CDTS). The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of stop smoking practitioners and service users who participated in a pilot study of a CDTS service. METHODS: The CDTS intervention was pilot tested in a Stop Smoking Service in London, England. As part of the CDTS intervention clients who were still smoking 2 weeks after their quit date were offered tailored advice, medication and support to reduce their current smoking by half, with the aim to stop smoking altogether within a six-month period. A qualitative evaluation was conducted involving a focus group discussion with nine practitioners involved in the delivery of the CDTS intervention and telephone interviews with 18 CDTS service users. Thematic analysis was performed. RESULTS: Service users and practitioners were very positive about their experience with the CDTS intervention. The intervention was found to be an effective way of keeping clients engaged with the service and was felt to increase the likelihood they might quit and/or re-engage in service for future quit attempts. Elements that contributed to the attractiveness of the CDTS intervention included: 1) the trust and empathetic relationship developed between service users, practitioners and their referring primary care provider; 2) time and flexibility for service users to engage in the quitting process at their own pace; 3) setting progressive goals and building service user confidence; 4) the opportunity to experiment with quit smoking medications; and, 5) the on-going contact with the practitioner/service. CONCLUSIONS: Service users who are not successful with quitting abruptly may benefit from a CDTS intervention. This study highlights the important role of 'relationships', time and 'flexible' service delivery models in engaging service users who are not initially successful with quitting. The findings of this study have the potential to inform decision-making regarding the value of the CDTS approach for the English Stop Smoking Service and cessation services worldwide

Distribution of aedes mosquitoes in three selected localities in Malaysia

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are the principle dengue vectors in Malaysia. The presence and distribution of Aedes larvae were studied in three different localities in Kelantan, Terengganu and Sabah, Malaysia in October 2008, November 2008 and June 2009. Two hundred (200) ovitraps per locality were placed randomly indoors and outdoors, depending on the environment of each locality. The highest mean number of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus larvae per recovered ovitrap for both indoors and outdoors was obtained from Kg. Paya Rambai, Kelantan. The indoor populations of Ae. aegypti as well as the indoor and outdoor populations of Ae. albopictus in Kg. Paya Rambai, Kelantan were significantly higher than the other two study sites (p<0.05) by 1.03- and 4.67-folds, 2.36- and 5.84-folds and 1.98- and 4.00-folds, respectively. Both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were also found to breed within the same ovitraps placed indoors and outdoors in all study sites ranging from 15.22% to 31.82% of the total positive ovitraps. This study showed that both species could serve as the vectors of dengue in all study sites as indicated by the high populations recorded. The reliability and sensitivity of ovitraps in Aedes surveillance was also prove

Experimental evidence for a role of prolactin in modulating avian clutch-size

Many coral reef and open-ocean fish have mirrored sides built from stacks of guanine crystals. Because the underwater light field is approximately symmetric around the vertical axis, vertical mirrors are an excellent form of camouflage. Mirrors of this orientation reflect light from the same angle of elevation (though from the opposite azimuth), so the reflected image matches what would be seen if the animal were transparent. However, most surfaces affect the polarization of light that is reflected from it. Smooth surfaces strongly affect on the polarization of the reflected light, and rough surfaces depolarize the light. Either effect can be seen by animals with polarization vision, thus breaking the camouflage. We examined how the silvery surfaces of fish affect the polarization of light in two ways. First, using a custom-built in situ polarization imaging system, we photographed various species of fish with mirrored sides on the Great Barrier Reef. Second, using transfer matrix theory, we modeled how the polarization of light reflected from stacks of guanine platelets depended on the number of plates and the distribution of platelet thicknesses and angles. The in situ imaging showed that many fish species were less conspicuous to animals with polarization vision than would be predicted. The optical modeling showed that, while stacks of 10 or 20 platelets strongly affected the polarization of light for most angles of incidence, stacks of 50 or greater platelets with a moderate amount of randomness in both platelet thicknesses and angles reflected nearly 100% of both polarization components. Thus, these structures acted as polarization-preserving reflectors that would provide camouflage to both animals with normal vision and polarization vision. To our knowledge, this is the first example of a polarization–preserving reflector in nature